


Sailing Right Behind

by amine



Series: Gen X and Gen Z [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: "Peter’s head shot up at that, and waved his hands with wide eyes. 'No, no, don’t call May, please!'Tony sighed and gestured for Peter to continue. 'So…'At first it seemed like Peter was going to argue more, but then his shoulders slumped and he sighed. 'I failed my genetics test.'"





	Sailing Right Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Listening to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" made me want to write some hurt/comfort, so here we are. I feel like I should take this opportunity to say how touched I am by the kind words and response I've gotten from people here. It really makes my day, so thank you. :)

It wasn’t a weekend Peter was scheduled to come to the compound, which was why it came as a shock to Tony when he got a text from Peter asking to pick him up. F.R.I.D.A.Y. confirmed that he hadn’t sustained any Spider-Man related injuries, but it concerned Tony all the same. Rather than send Happy, he made the drive himself to get Peter from school.

On any other day he picked Peter up, Peter might casually look back at the astonished students in smug confirmation that yes, he _did_ know Tony Stark well enough to be picked up from school by him. There was none of that that day. Peter just got up from where he was sitting and climbed into the passenger seat without a word. Not an infectiously cheerful “hi, Mr. Stark!” or even eye contact.

Peter put on his seatbelt and propped his elbow against the window with a sour expression on his face. Tony clicked his tongue.

“You gonna tell me what’s going on, kid?”

Peter didn’t turn to look at him and just shook his head. “Can we go to the compound, please?”

That made Tony’s eyebrow raise. “Does May know?”

Peter flinched at that, and his expression soured further. “Please.”

Tony considered taking Peter directly home, because he had no love for lying to May Parker, but Peter looked so miserable that Tony sighed and pulled away from the school. 

The trip upstate was made in uncomfortable silence, with Peter brooding in the passenger seat and Tony occasionally looking over to see if anything had changed. He was used to Peter chatting his ear off about school or decathlon or what he and Ned were up to or his exploits as Spider-Man or about the stray dog he befriended and found a home for. Silence was unheard of with Peter Parker. 

Still, Tony didn’t try to prod for answers until they were in the compound and Peter tried to make a beeline for his room. Tony jogged to get in front of Peter and crossed his arms.

“I think I should get to know why I had to take all that time to get you when it’s not your weekend.”

“Can we talk about it later—” Peter scowled and tried to duck out of the way, but Tony stood firm in blocking his way.

“Nope. I get to know what’s going on or I’ll be giving your lovely aunt a call.”

Peter’s head shot up at that, and waved his hands with wide eyes. “No, no, don’t call May, please!”

Tony sighed and gestured for Peter to continue. “So…”

At first it seemed like Peter was going to argue more, but then his shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I failed my genetics test.”

Tony blinked, and he lowered his arms to his side. “Is that it?”

Peter’s eyes widened again. “What do you mean is that it? I didn’t just fail, I got a 20%! I’ve never failed a test before! The worst I ever got was a B- and Ben had to literally drag me out of my bed because I was so upset about it. But…I…there was that string of robberies in Queens, so I… _Spider-Man_ had to go out and stop them, and I just put off studying because I thought it would be okay, but—”

Peter bit his lip as he cut himself off, and Tony could see how that same lip was trembling. He sighed and gestured for Peter to follow him to one of the couches, where they sat down. He could understand how Peter felt—failure was a tough pill to swallow. Even tougher when you’d never had to deal with it before.

“I bet May would be happy to comfort you in your time of need. Why hide out here?”

“I don’t want May to know.” He stared down at his hands in his lap, which he was wringing in obvious distress. He was still biting at his lip, and Tony wondered how long he’d be able to hold out.

“Why not?”

Peter closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. “Because! She thinks I’m the smartest person alive! She works _so hard_ so I can go to Midtown Tech and I know about the money her and Ben started putting aside so I won’t have to worry so much about money when I go to college, but… I’m a failure. She has so much faith in me and I _failed_ …”

Tony knew very well of what May put herself through so that Peter would have all the opportunities in the world, and she was extremely stubborn about bearing that burden herself. Tony had insisted on letters of recommendation and paying for at least a portion of Peter’s post-secondary schooling through his inevitable doctorate, but his high school tuition was off-limits. 

He also knew, though, that Peter was the light of her life, and he could never let her down with something that was ultimately trivial in the grand scheme of things.

The same could be said for him, after all.

“It’s just one test, kid. It’s not the end of the world.” He reached out to put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, feeling him stiffen under the touch.

That finally triggered a sob, which Peter immediately swallowed down. “It sure feels like it.”

That was also enough for Tony to drop pretenses, and he shifted over so he could wrap his arms around Peter and pull him into a hug.

“You’re not a failure, Pete. You’re the greatest kid who’s going to grow into the greatest adult, and May is going to be proud of you and think you’re the smartest person alive no matter what you do.” He paused as Peter let out another shuddering breath, and then he bent to press a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. “And you better believe I’m going to be smug as hell when you’re changing the world for the better and I can say that I know you.”

Peter let out a laugh at that, but it quickly dissolved into sobs that wracked his body as he buried his face in Tony’s chest and clung just tight enough that it didn’t hurt.

They could address how to better balance Spider-Man with schoolwork later, and he could make up an excuse for why Peter came to the compound instead of going home and all those other things that didn’t really matter at that moment.

What mattered was that Peter needed him, and he could oblige him by holding him close and running a hand through his hair while assuring him that it wasn’t _just_ Spider-Man he supported without thought.

And if Peter mumbled an exhausted “thanks, Dad” when he was finally finished, Tony wouldn’t tell.


End file.
